SSP Diaries | 2026 – another year of questions without suitable answers?

At the beginning of 2025 I examined several situations under the caption ‘2025 – Another year of questions without suitable answers.’ This article revisits the past and looks also at other incidents that merit our attention going forward.

The Jamaica Observer reported the Jamaica Broiler’s Group as being the ‘victim of a massive, multi-year fraud in its US operations,’ to the tune of some $46B. The chief financial officer, is alleged to have stated at the time, ‘ this level of coordinated deception makes detection, not very easy.’ The report went on to state that ‘ the auditors were not merely misled, they were outmanoeuvred, revealing a dangerous gap between textbook procedures and the determined ingenuity of fraud.’ Within a matter of a month or so after the fact, this critical matter impacting one of the largest brands of Jamaica seems to have taken a back seat.

We are left to wonder why, and how soon the public will be informed of what caused this family-owned business such distress and what are the remedies to be applied going forward.

The Haitian crisis has continued with no meaningful successes or achievements that one could say will bring the country back to normalcy. Nations continue to ‘debate’ the future of this country in a manner seemingly oblivious to the increasing loss of innocent lives each day. Neither the UN nor CARICOM are prepared to depart from the use of ‘appropriate diplomatic terminology’ that speaks to severe inactions and do something meaningful and positive in realising positive outcomes. The Haitian crisis remains no closer to an end than it was a year ago. The sad reality is being allowed to continue, but to whose gain?

The war, between Ukraine and Russia, in the Sudan, Yemen, Syria, conflicts in West Africa, the Israel/Gaza atrocities all have continued despite the existence of a UN which grows increasingly powerless as each day passes.

The international community now finds itself in a state of confusion as to whether the world has been plunged back into the days of plundering or we have a world based upon order, civility and respect for the rights of others.

The capturing/kidnapping of the Venezuelan head of state by the US administration, no matter the circumstances, leads to a plethora of questions needing answers, if such actions are not to become the norm. The continued threats against Cuba, Panama, Greenland and by extension Europe under NATO raises the spectre of disorder in the global arena more than anything experienced in modern day history. Again, we ask, what is the purpose of the UN and will we ever return to the concept of peaceful co-existence?

Whereas corruption has become more endemic over time, whether in business or as a tool for political gains, several of the alliances being formed out of a desire to survive as sovereign states, is instructive. There are more new relationships between communist-oriented nations and democracies today, and these seem to be advancing at a rapid rate as the world tries to counter the aggressiveness and perceived illegalities of a US administration.

At the same time, there are democracies that are poised to battle with each other, for the very same reason. The intention of the US to acquire Greenland by any means drives this situation and is likely to create a lasting distrust between the allies, even if peacefully settled in the future. The combination of ego, power, greed, supported by irrationality paves the way for destruction in the current environment. Will this be inevitable or can the trend be reversed for the betterment of humanity?

Those of us growing up in democracies have always felt that the best leaders came from such beginnings. This theory, if I may call it that, cannot stand considering those fortunate to be more exposed than others in governance across the globe in today’s world. There are good, strong leaders in communist regimes as well as poor, weak and brutal ones. The point is that democracies have more than their fair share of such leaders, as well, as we have all evidenced in recent times. In the absence of an accepted way of conducting business and the means of holding countries to the agreed protocols, how can humanity survive going forward?

The year 2026 – in carrying on from the developments of the previous year– suggests that we will be in even more dire straits than before, either because of man-made or natural disasters.

The evidence that a significant world power is en route to imploding, is real and should not be taken lightly. How one survives such an event as another sovereign entity, is dependent upon being principled in views, outlook and governance. And not seeking favours through popularity, blind allegiance, or corrupt practices.

So, although bodies like the UN have lost their way, there is much that the well thinking among, whether a communist, socialist or democratic country, can do to help this body become more relevant than it ever was and pave the way for a new world order based upon mutual respect, survival and existence. Ideology is no longer a barrier to global achievements in politics or business; will we be willing to accept this fact in 2026?

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